091504

 

Eugene to Cottage Grove, OR

Wednesday September 15, 2004

     6:45am  I just woke up. I'm really glad I didn't get a camping ticket last night. I woke up at three and it started raining. I crashed out at the same place I camped at last year(7-11-03, 6:28am). In Skinner Butte. When it started raining I found this big highway, where underneath they have a basketball court. It's all decorated. I crashed out again.

     7:05am  I came to this park close to where the highway is. They didn't have any toilet paper in the bathroom under the highway, so I came to this park and I'm taking a shit.

                   Plop, plop. Hehe.

     8:32am  I am walking down 5th Avenue into town.

     8:53am  I just ran into some kids. I asked them, "Do any of you guys have a lighter so I can resin-hit my pipe?" One guy said, "Hey, you're the guy I see everywhere!" Shocked, I asked him, "Where did I meet you last?" He told me, "Some Greyhound station in New Mexico or Arizona." Probably New Mexico. I haven't been to Arizona.

                  That's awesome. I am known.

     9:21am  I came to the Chevron where I met this guy last time I was here. Last year I told him my whole story and he had said, "You got protection. You're being taken care of."  He's not working right now. I don't know if he works here at all anymore. I'm going to ask for spare change for a snack.

     9:45am  Justin hooked me up with some change for a snack. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     9:56am  I went to the 7-11 and I spanged up a cookie. Fifty cents. I'm going to go to Taco Bell and try to score.

     9:58am  No-go at Taco Bell. I pulled out my recorder and told him, "The whole world is going to know how greedy you are."

     10:18am  Robert hooked me up with a cigarette outside the Catholic Community Service of Lane County.

     10:30am  I came over to the Catholic Community Services and they're giving me some snacks.

     10:52am  I'm walking down the street to the Salvation Army thriftstore. I think the mission is down this street.

     11:07am  I asked at the thriftstore what their policy was for giving away clothes. Then I thought, "Oh yeah, I want to go look through the books." Dude, right when I walked up to the big bookshelf this one book caught my eye. It's called War and Anti-War by Alvin and Heidi Toffler. Perfect, another magical finding at the thrift store. Alvin Toffler wrote Future Shock and The Third Wave.

     11:13am  The lady told me I had to walk back to their main offices and get a voucher from them. I found that book and I told her, "There's always a book I am meant to get at the thrift store and this one caught my eye." Before I asked her, she told me I could have it. Sweet. I have some reading.

     11:53am  I just came out of the Salvation Army main office. They didn't have any vouchers left for thriftstore, but they gave me directions to some Heart Core place. Some different thrift store. That's cool, I had looked through the clothes and they didn't have anything good and I already got what I wanted at the Salvation Army thriftstore, that book. I'm really glad I got that book.

                     It will be the third Alvin Toffler book in my logs(if it's any good).

     12:27pm  I got a courtesy ride on the #11 to the thriftstore. Cool.

     12:42pm  I got off the bus over and Bullard and Franklin.

     12:50pm  I walked and next to the 7-11 there's some psychic place. I'm going to knock on the door. Somebody's inside but they won't answer the door.

                     I went to the Heart Core place. I looked through their clothes and found me a perfect layer. This cool blue sweater, made of Rahie(the same stuff my warm grey Structure sweater is made out of). Afterwards, they let me have all this food. Breads and pies and stuff.

     1:55pm  Here comes the 11. Let's see if I can get a courtesy ride back into town.

     1:57pm  That guy told me no. He was shaking his head as soon as I got on. I told him, "Thanks anyway, greedy ass." I'll wait for the next one. I'm reading my book, it's cool.

     2:15pm  I got a courtesy ride on the bus. Cool.

     2:34pm  Mike hooked me up with a cigarette at Eugene Station. I appreciate it, brother.

     2:35pm  I'm out here at the bus station, Eugene Station. All these guys are walking around trying to get people registered to vote. I went up to one and told him, "The only people who vote are the ones ignorant to the fact that the government is killing the world. An ignorant majority should never rule. Just look who is in office right now." He told me, "Well, that's what we're trying to help." I told them, "Sadly, your efforts barely help. You are wasting your time. Popular vote doesn't count anymore. Remember the Clinton/Gore election? The whole system is evil and corrupt. We need to stop using it altogether."

     3:09pm  Morgan hooked me up with a cigarette here at Eugene Station. I appreciate it, Morgan.

     3:43pm  I had this excellent presentation with the girl I got the cigarette from. She told me, "It was really nice meeting you."

     4:11pm  Banner is hooking me up with a cigarette in this 

 little plaza here at Broadway and Willamette.

     4:23pm  I went to my little stage in the corner of the red brick plaza and read my book. I've got my On My Way To Save the World sign stood up. I saw some girl sitting down smoking a cigarette. I'm going to hit her up for a story. I gave her my intro and mission-objectives and she asks me, "What time is it. Wanna go for a walk?"

                   How perfect.

     5:10pm  Holy shit. One of the voter guy's walking around, I just blew his mind, dude. He agreed with everything I said. In the end he told me, "It was a pleasure to meet you." He walked off. He didn't have time to listen to the odyssey because he had to "work." It's going to happen soon. He's going to tell all those other voter people.

     5:27pm  Colin just gave me a cigarette in the little plaza. Over on Broadway and Willamette. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     5:58pm  I had a great presentation with this one girl. I'm going to stand here in front of this sculpture and ask people as they walk by.

                   I had another really good presentation in the plaza. These two kids who walked up. I told them what I was doing.

     7:02pm  Tonka hooked me up with a tennis ball. I appreciate it, Tonka. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     7:04pm  Tonka told me about her mission. What's your mission?

                   Tonka: "My mission is, this is the year 4002, because it's 2004. My mission is the Tower of Power. Pick up all the popsicle sticks you can find. We don't take new ones. We only take used ones. We're going to build a space ship to Mars and we're going to put all their names on it out of popsicle sticks under the Washington Street bridge."

                   Victor: "Umm, okay. Good luck with that."

     7:10pm  Oh yeah, I don't think I told you. I'm going to skip Eugene. I'm waiting for the 81 or 82. Comes at 7:40pm. If I get a courtesy ride I'll leave. If I don't, maybe I'll just wait another hour. It takes me out to the main community college. From there I can walk to I5 and stick my thumb out.

     7:22pm  I'm out here waiting for the 81 at 7:40 and Steven hooked me up with a rollie. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     7:34pm  Larry is hooking me up with a courtesy ride down to the school, so I can skip town. I appreciate it, brother.

     7:45pm  I'm sitting here on the bus. Some other guy got on the bus and I tried telling him my story. He didn't listen to a damn thing I said. At every point I made he was interrupting me.

                   He told me that he was diagnosed. That dude asked me, "What medication are you on?" I told him I didn't do drugs. He said, "Well, you should. They help you."

     8:00pm  I am at the Lane Community College. Let's see if the library is open.

     8:02pm  Everett hooked me up with a cigarette in front of the college. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     8:12pm  Some guy told me the library closed at seven so I said screw it. The real nice driver who had given me a courtesy ride was still there and he dropped me off on Interstate 5. I appreciate it, brother. I'm going to go to the Shell station and ask for rides.

     8:24pm  Shannon, here at the Shell station gave me a cigarette. I appreciate it, Shannon.

     8:52pm  Well, since no Southbound traffic went to the Shell, I walked all the way to this Exxon a ways down. It was a tough walk and I hopped over a big barb wire fence and everything. I get to the Exxon and there's nobody here. It's closed.

     9:35pm  I walked all the way over to the Shell station again. Now, I never thought I'd score a Southbound ride here . . . but Pat's hooking me up with a ride! He pulled in to get gas. I appreciate it, brother.

                   Oh yeah, I wanted to mention that Pat just told me that he came to Oregon to plant trees. He's been planting trees for twenty years. That's awesome. I am proud of you, Pat. Not enough people plant trees.

                   We just keep cutting them down.

     10:10pm  Aaron just hooked me up with a cigarette in front of the Chevron. What's the name of this town? Cottage Grove. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit.

     10:11pm  Man, I am having an awesome night. I'm already in Cottage Grove. I didn't think I was going to get a ride from that Shell station at all. I sat down and smoked a cigarette. Then I saw this hippie van pull up. I had figured I would ask for a ride North to the next gas station. I asked Pat, "Don't suppose you could give me a ride to the next gas station North?" He told me, "I'm going South."

                     Oh yeah, it was so cool, back at the Shell Pat just pulled up in a van and I thought to myself, "Hmm, I should go ask this guy." These Oregon gas stations are full-service, up the ass. I just wanted to mention that. They don't want you getting out of your car. Anyway, I thought I was never going to get a ride. Before that I had gone to the Exxon on the other side of the highway. I had to climb the barbwire fence and everything into these thorny bushes. I went to the Exxon across the highway, and it turned out just being a little booth with a guy inside. He was a dumbass. I went up to him and asked him if he had a light and he had a lighter and still wouldn't light my cigarette for me. That bastard.
                      I asked that one guy back at the Shell and as luck would have it, he was going South! And he smokes weed and he kicked me down a fat nugget!

Next day..